Influence
by IcySnappDragon
Summary: It ended the way it began, really. Suddenly and painfully, with a sharp twist of resignation powerful enough to take her breath away. RWBY Cancer AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a new project I've been working on. Some friends challenged me to write something using the last show I've seen and the last book I've read, and surprise, surprise, they were RWBY and The Fault In Our Stars. I have now written anything in years and I fear I am more than a little rusty, but please read and I hope you enjoy it. Warning: This does contain heavy angst.

* * *

She was dying. She knew it. Her family (or what's left of it anyway) knew it. Anyone who was unlucky enough to see her knew it.

It ended the way it began, really. Suddenly and painfully, with a sharp twist of resignation powerful enough to take her breath away.

Ruby Rose was dying, and there wasn't anything neither she, nor the numerous medical bills could do. A spinal tumor. It had already taken the ability to move her legs freely and it was determined to take the rest of her, too. Confined to a wheelchair most days, the sixteen-year-old surprised her doctors with her chipper demeanor and seemingly endless enthusiasm for life, regardless of the hard days—weeks, months, years, she didn't really know anymore, and the pitying looks everyone was convinced all cancer kids needed. She knew time was running out; "Why spend it hating the crappy hand the cosmic universe dealt me?" she said to whoever questioned her mentality. She made good with a bad situation. She was happy with what little time she had.

Apparently, some others did not share her viewpoint.

"But Yang! I don't need to go! I'm perfectly fine with the life I have."

"Ruby, come on. Even Blake agrees with me. Don't you want to make new friends? You'll be the bees-knees for sure! I can see it now!" Yang punctuated this statement by crouching down and yanking one of Ruby's wheelchair handles, forcing her to look at the direction Yang wanted her to look; the living room wall. Ruby attempted to turn her head and demand to know what the hell Yang was doing, when the suspect in question grabbed her face and forced her to look straight ahead again. Yang lifted her arm, and in a sweeping gesture, attempted to paint a vivid picture.

"You could be the cool chick with the sweet ride. I mean, who else puts hot-rod flames and cool, kick-ass roses on their wheelchair?"

"Uh, I don't really recall having a say in that deci-"

Yang straightened up quickly, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes and glared down at her little sister. "Seriously, when was the last time you saw another living, human being? And I don't count!"

That last outburst was directed at the apparent sarcastic reply and Ruby was forced to sigh dramatically.

"But Yang! Support group is for, for, people not like me." She finished lamely; doing everything she could to avoid eye contact. "And before you say it, yes I know I have cancer and I know, in your eyes and they eyes of all other functioning humans, my life apparently sucks. But I just want to live my life, Yang." She took a chance and glanced at Yang's stunned face, settling her gaze into her older sister's eyes. "I know I may not fit into society's, or even your kind of 'normal', but I don't care. To me, I am normal. And I just wanna be a normal girl, as much as my situation will allow me. A normal girl with normal knees."

Ruby watched the warring emotions flicker across Yang's face. She was a little worried she had overstepped some boundaries. Cancer wasn't easy, after all; especially to those who got left behind. She had learned this the hard way. Through a mother she couldn't even remember. And a sister who cried behind locked doors. A sister, her only family, who struggled to support not only herself, but essentially a walking coffin determined to wrack up as many hospital bills possible, all the way to the six-foot deep hole in the ground.

Yang Xiao Long was possibly the strongest person Ruby had ever met. Physically fit with a tall stature and a body most would kill for, Ruby was surprised when Yang ducked her head and slouched her shoulders. She seemed older than she was and her prized golden locks seemed a tad lackluster, if Ruby was being totally honest. Not that she would say it to Yang's face, she really didn't want her handbrakes to mysteriously fail again.

The tight grip on her shoulders snapped her back into focus. Yang kneeled in front of Ruby, still refusing to lift her head. Her thick hair prevented Ruby from seeing Yang's expression, but the slight trembling of her hands and the shaky breaths Yang attempted to hide revealed just how broken she had become.

The embodiment of broken beauty at its finest.

"Ruby," a choked whisper, "Please, I-I don't know-I mean what am I supposed to-How do I-"

_What am I supposed to do when you die?_

The unspoken question hung in the air. It wasn't a question of if anymore, but when. They had passed that milestone when the cancer came back with a vengeance. Spreading death into her nerves and would eventually invade all major organs until her body shut down.

She was dying. She knew it. Her family (just Yang) knew it. It was only a matter of time, really. Until the clock ticked down to zero. Until she exploded into a destructive shockwave so devastating, it was guaranteed to take anything and anyone with her. Cancer wasn't easy, after all; especially for those left behind to pick up the non-existent pieces.

Reaching up to place her hands on Yang's own shoulders, Ruby took a shaky breath.

"Its gonna be ok, Yang. I bet the other kids will be totally jealous of this awesome paint job."

Yang looked up. A large watery smile on her face.

"They totally will be, Rubes. Its gonna be awesome."

* * *

Thank you for reading this little thing and feedback is more than welcome. I have some rough ideas and a couple of chapters already written out, but I will be extremely grateful for any help and/or ideas. I will try to make the characters as close to canon as I can while separating my writing style from John Green's. Hopefully this will make something new and interesting. Until next time!


	2. Fate Or Something Like That

_AN:/ Rating changed from T to M for profanity_

* * *

_Fate...Or Something Like That_

"Ready?"

Ruby blinked, only just realizing they had arrived at the rather plain looking building already.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

Ruby turned towards Yang, a smile plastered on her face.

"Sorry Sis, I was just-"

"Ruby…"

Yang's soft voice interrupted her apology.

"Ruby, I know…" hands, weathered by hard work and dedication, gripped the steering wheel of the old, beat-up Camaro so hard her knuckles turned white. She stared straight ahead, not ready to look at her little sister's face.

"I know that I'm not very good at this." Her voice was hard, attempting to separate herself from the moment, her emotions. Bracing herself for nightmares she could only wish stayed in her dreams.

Ruby opened her mouth, ready to vehemently deny Yang's admission.

"No. Ruby. Listen, I'm not good at this. Hell, I don't think anybody is good at this. I'm not ready for it and I know I'm not good and-and, God, Ruby! This is just so fucked up!"

She slammed her hands on the steering wheel, startling Ruby into silence.

"This just isn't fair…"

The choked whisper had Ruby quickly scooting closer and leaning over the center console. She wrapped her arms around Yang. The soft warm leather of her jacket creased under her tight grip. The scent of leather and cinnamon—laughter, scraped up knees, childhood. Ruby buried her head into Yang's shoulder, finding comfort in the familiar scent.

"I love you too much to let you just—" Yang stopped short. The unspoken words hanging between them.

_Die alone._

"I need you to do this, Ruby."

Yang reached up, tangling her fingers into Ruby's soft red-streaked hair.

"You've always been too big for this shitty town, you know?. Time to finally share your awesomeness with someone other than me."

Taking a deep breath, Yang gently nudged Ruby away from her. She flashed Ruby a crooked grin—devil-may-care with a hint of rebellion.

Like playing in the rain, even knowing you might get sick later.

Like fighting, praying, hoping—_Fuck! God, just, please not her!_

Yang's eyes softened as she ran her fingers gently through Ruby's bangs.

"C'mon. You're gonna be late."

* * *

Ruby huffed, reaching up to adjust her red beanie. It had taken her forever to convince Yang she didn't need her wheelchair that day. And even longer to convince her that she didn't need to be carried and/or escorted into the room. Now she was definitely late.

"Honestly," Ruby sighed.

She hobbled slowly down the hallway, her crutches clacking on the shiny white-tiled floor. The bright lights provided an unsettling atmosphere, eliminating shadows and bringing attention to the tacky frames littering the walls. Ruby stopped to lean against the wall. A frame on the opposite wall drew her attention.

She wasn't always sick. She grew up normally, well, as normally as she could, anyway. With a dead mother and a father who drowned in his bottle-laden grief, her childhood should have been hard. Should have crushed her. But she had Yang. Or, she has Yang. And Yang has her. Or, she had her. Because she was dying. Nothing could change that. The realization had been hard, at first. Like tearing off a Band-Aid, knowing you weren't ready for the impending pain. Knowing the wound wasn't ready, that you weren't ready; that the only family you had left wasn't ready. It was going to hurt. It was going to hurt Yang for a long time and it may never stop hurting her and Ruby hated, hated, hated herself for being the cause of the hurt and Ruby didn't understand why Yang was forcing her to make friends she would eventually leave behind, sooner rather than later. Ruby didn't understand why she had to drag others down with her. She didn't know what was worse, the build-up or the eventual end.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke her from her musings and she had just enough time to blink before a white blur kicked the crutch out of her right hand only to go sprawling on the hard unforgiving tiles.

Ruby winced, prepared to mutter an awkward apology. Before she could, the object in question staggered to their feet and quickly turned towards Ruby, dusting off their immaculately white blazer.

"You dunce! What do you think you're doing?! Do you know who I am?!"

"Uh—"

"Why the hell are you just standing around here? Do you know how dangerous that is? Well?"

"Um—"

"You could have seriously injured somebody! What if the person you brutally tripped was more fragile than someone like me? What would you have done?"

"Well, I—"

"God, you are such a dolt."

"If you would just let me—"

"Now I'm really late, thanks to you."

The girl turned away, prepared to continue her journey.

"W-wait!"

The girl turned towards Ruby again, her furrowed brows evidence of her non-existent patience.

"What?" She snapped, crossing her arms.

Ruby choked on her breath, unprepared for the shock of blue meeting her own eyes. A faint scar the only blemish marrying the otherwise flawless features.

"Well? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"'Cause you're beautiful." Came the whispered reply.

A furious blush quickly replaced the look of shock on the other girl's face.

Ruby, only then realizing that the statement had indeed left her mouth instead of staying locked away in her brain like she would have preferred, felt her face heat up from embarrassment. She ducked her head, no longer having the courage to look at the other girl's face.

The silence was so loud Ruby couldn't hear a thing besides her rapidly beating heart.

A soft sigh and something which sounded remarkably similar to "you dolt" reached her ears while white knee high boots invaded her line of sight.

Ruby looked up, the other girl quickly looking away once she had Ruby's attention. Ears still pink, the girl shoved something into Ruby's hand—her forgotten crutch.

"You're going to support group too, right? We should hurry. Thanks to you, we're both really late."

With that, she turned away, a flourish of white blazer and gray pleated skirt following her around the corner.

Ruby let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. A little light-headed, whether from the lack of oxygen or simply because—

Ruby glanced in the direction the girl had gone.

_What the hell was that?_

* * *

_AN:/ Shoutout to all the readers who followed/faved/left a review. You guys are the best and you totally made my day. Thanks for reading and constructive criticism is more than welcome._


	3. Awkward

_AN:/ Thanks for those who reviewed/followed/favorited! You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy this chapter and again, constructive criticism (really, any kind of feedback) is more than welcome._

* * *

_Awkward_

"Cancer, one of the many cruel obstacles in this treacherous world. Every year, many fall victim to this terrible disease. It is absolutely crucial for one to have proper support in these trying times."

Peter Port. Or Professor Port as he liked to be called. Whether he was an actual professor, Ruby could not tell.

"I would like to begin today's session with a story. A story of a rather, handsome, young man. Me!"

The boisterous laugh following his statement made Ruby cringe in her seat, feeling the beginning pinpricks of second-hand embarrassment.

"I was diagnosed at 20, told I would only have months to live…"

Ruby drowned out Professor Port's voice, content with looking around the room instead. They all sat in a tight circle, ensuring everybody could see each other clearly. Almost all the kids seemed to be dozing off, a few actually paying attention to Professor Port's rather long-winded biography. Ruby's gaze stopped at an empty chair directly across from her. She had noticed a few empty chairs earlier, but brushed the uneasy feeling aside, believing the occupants were late.

They weren't.

A soft cough, almost too quiet to be heard, broke Ruby out of her intense staring contest with the cheap plastic. She glanced around, boredom demanding her to find the source of the noise, only to land on familiar blue. It was the girl from the hallway. All blue eyes, white hair, and skin so pale, Ruby wondered if she ever traversed outside for more than 10 minutes.

The girl continued to stare at Ruby, gaze challenging. However, what puzzled Ruby was the faint hint of concern.

Ruby looked her over as Professor Port droned on about his grandfather who apparently smelled like cabbages quite often. She was unwilling to become intimidated by someone she didn't even know and who had been somewhat rude to her. The staring turned into a battle of wills as the session continued to wear on. Cancer stories were recounted, kids barely making it out of one battle only to enter another warzone. Tearful pleas for mercy and grudging acceptance filling the awful silence. Neither Ruby nor Mystery Girl spoke, too engrossed in their staring contest.

"Miss Schnee, perhaps you would like to share?"

Blue eyes blinked. _Ha! Ruby:1, Mystery Girl:0_

"I'm sorry?"

"Please introduce yourself to the group."

Mystery Girl stood from her chair, crossing her arms once she reached her full height, posture erect and almost perfect, save for the fact that she placed most of her weight onto her right leg. All in all, she looked rather bored; like this was a huge waste of her time.

"Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Petroleum Corporation. I had a scare a couple of years ago, but I overcame that and am now being forced to attend these meetings."

The prideful tone filled with slight disdain only added to her arrogance. This forced an eye-roll from Ruby. _So much for being nice._

"Thank you for your…honest response. Perhaps you would also like to share your fears with us? Sharing would definitely lessen the burden."

Mystery Girl, _Weiss_, furrowed her brows.

"Fears?"

"Yes, Miss Schnee. What are your fears?"

Weiss looked down, shifting her stance slightly, leaning more heavily on her right leg. She tightened her crossed arms. All of this happened so quickly and so minutely Ruby almost missed it.

"I fear weakness," she said after a slight pause. The way Weiss' shoulders sagged after the admission, told Ruby this amount of honesty was rare for the heiress.

All too soon, the vulnerability was replaced with a strong posture. Weiss straightened her spine, squared her shoulders, and lifted her head with defiance.

"Weakness is for people who are not strong enough to stand on their own; who require constant aid and pity from those around them." Her voice was hard and cold, practically ice. The almost rehearsed statement had Ruby feeling slightly on edge.

"Well, alright then. Would anyone like to comment on that?"

"Why?" Any other time, Ruby would have been surprised with herself. She was a fairly shy girl, not one to speak up at all. She gripped her crutches, using them to help her out of her seat.

"Needing help isn't weakness. Trying to do everything on your own is what's gonna tire you out in the end. Knowing when to ask for help is probably the strongest thing you can do. We all need a helping hand every once and awhile. There's no shame in that."

Finished with her spontaneous speech, Ruby sank heavily onto the plastic seat.

"Thank you, Miss Rose, for that insightful reply. Now then…"

Ruby chanced a glance towards Weiss who was already staring at Ruby, a look of slight wonder in her eyes and a small smirk dancing on her lips.

* * *

Ruby released a heavy sigh as she slowly made her way towards the exit. Support group was just so exhausting. She stopped in front of the door, debating whether or not she should risk falling over by attempting to open it herself.

A pale hand shoved the door open.

Ruby turned her head, wanting to find out who was attached to the hand with such soft looking skin.

"Weiss…?"

"Are you going to go through or not? I don't have all day, you know."

"Ah! Um, thank you." Ruby hobbled through the door, automatically looking for Yang's car in the parking lot. _She said she would be there…_

"You never told me your name."

"Um, what?"

An aggravated sigh.

"Your name. Or do you want to go by Miss Rose."

"Oh. My name's Ruby."

"You never answered the question either."

"What? But I just told you my na—"

"No! Not that one, you dunce! What are you afraid of?"

The flickers of annoyance Ruby felt were quickly doused by Weiss' question. It completely threw her off.

To be honest, Ruby feared many things. She hated the dentist. She still hated needles regardless of the numerous hospital visits. And don't even get her started on cookie shortages.

"A lot of things."

Weiss waited for her to finish, but Ruby only smiled at her.

"That's it? That's all you are going to say?"

"Yup."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, a lot of things scare me, but that's what family and friends are for. To get you past the scary things. I don't have a lot of friends, but I know they'll be there when I need them."

Weiss was taken aback, surprised by such an honest answer. She wasn't used to that.

Ruby confused Weiss. She was the unknown variable. The proverbial monkey-wrench in a world filled with lies, half truths, and _Stop crying! A Schnee does not show weakness! You are a disgrace to my family name_, which eventually turned into a crushing, stone-cold silence.

Cold. That's how Weiss would describe her childhood. Lonely and cold. So much so, she often wondered if her heart had actually turned to stone. If she had turned into the very thing she despised. It left a heavy feeling in her chest. A weight so immense, so all consuming and painful, she could hardly catch her breath.

Honestly, she was more than a little terrified of the answer.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

Ruby was a little lost. One minute Weiss was yelling at her and the next she was apparently lost in thought. And staring at her.

Ruby was actually a little (a lot) unnerved.

She watched as a brilliant blush spread across Weiss' face, ending at the tips of her ears. Weiss cleared her throat and turned away, embarrassed at being caught staring.

"Have you contacted your means of transportation?"

"…Did you really have to say all that just to ask if my ride's here?"

Weiss huffed, apparently not amused with Ruby's little quip. Ruby pulled out her phone, quickly finding Yang's name in her contacts.

* * *

"Sorry Kitten, hold that thought. It's probably my little sis calling. Hello? Hey Rubes! How'd the session go?"

"_It was…interesting. I just need you to pick me up now. I'm waiting in front of the building with…someone, and—"_

"A friend, you say? That's great! What's their name?"

"_Um. Weiss Schnee. But I wouldn't really call her—"_

"Whoops! Sorry Ruby! I can barely hear you! Must be a bad connection. Car's also busted, bye!"

Yang snapped her phone shut, a pleased sigh escaping her lips as she leaned on the bar's counter.

"Something tells me you won't be picking up Ruby."

Yang grinned at her girlfriend.

"Nope! She said her friend's gonna give her a ride. Which means I can spend more time with you, Kitty-Cat."

Blake gave Yang a deadpan stare.

"…Something also tells me that's not even remotely close to the truth."

Yang's grin dimmed into a sort of melancholy smile.

"She needs this. She might not know it now, she might even hate me a little for pushing her so hard on this, but I think, no, I know, this will be good for her. She'll end up hating me more if I let her isolate herself."

Yang twirled the drink in her hand, watching the ice spin in the amber liquid.

"Sometimes," Yang squeezed the glass, a lump forming in her throat, "sometimes I think this will be good for me too. I—"

The warm hand settling on her own snapped Yang out of the painful and raw admission. She turned her head towards the black clad figure, the warm amber eyes settling her thoughts.

"It's ok, Yang. Everything's going to be ok. You're going to be ok. So you don't have to explain everything right now. Even though I highly question the fact that you ditched Ruby with some random stranger."

Truth is, Blake didn't know if everything _would_ be ok. God, she hoped, prayed, pleaded that the world would see fit to save Ruby, the little sister she never had and always wanted. She could only imagine what Yang was going through. What can you even say to someone in Yang's position? The truth? Even if it hurts? Even if it was slowly killing them all? Because they both knew how this would end. Ruby would die, and their hearts would die with her.

Yang let out a choked laugh as Blake wrapped her arms around her.

A whisper so quiet, Blake had to strain to hear it.

"Thanks, Kitten."

Blake sniffed, blinking away the tears she refused to show.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Hello? Yang? What do you mean the car's busted? Yang?!"

Ruby groaned as she put her phone away. Yang had hung up on her.

How was she gonna get home now?

Weiss cleared her throat softly, attracting Ruby's attention.

"I couldn't help but to hear your current predicament, and would like to offer my services."

"You really like using fancy words, don't you?"

Weiss flushed as she crossed her arms.

"Do you want my help or not?"

Ruby blinked, not expecting this much from someone like Weiss.

"Really?"

Weiss was already walking towards a pristine white car waiting in the parking lot.

"Hurry up, dolt. I am not going to wait for you."

Ruby hurried after her, or tried to anyways. Sometimes it really sucked being confined to crutches and a wheelchair. However, this gave Ruby the opportunity for covert observations, or shameless ogling as Blake liked to call it. _Covert observations sounded so much better_. Weiss was pretty short, something Ruby didn't notice earlier. She was probably only an inch or two taller than Ruby herself. She also noticed Weiss wore white. A lot of white. Crisp, white blazer. Wrinkle-free, white button down shirt with what looked like a snowflake on the breast pocket. White leather boots ending just below her knees. The gray pleated skirt was the only article of clothing to break the rather striking color scheme. All in all, a rather symmetrical and well-organized outfit. However, Ruby noticed something…off, about the whole thing. Weiss' ponytail was slightly off center, more than enough to be just accidental. Weiss was also walking with a slight limp. Not enough to notice if one wasn't being observant.

"Weiss? I didn't actually hurt you when you tripped, did I?"

Puzzled, Weiss glanced back at Ruby.

"What?"

"It's just, you're limping. And you should probably go to the hospital if you're hurting that much."

Weiss immediately straightened up, altering her gait enough so that she was no longer limping.

"I'm fine. Now hurry up. I don't have all day."

_Jeez. I was just asking if she was all right_.

They reached the car; an elderly man dressed in a fancy suit came out to open the door for them.

She would be lying if she said Weiss didn't intrigue her. The girl was shrouded in such a prickly countenance, Ruby knew there was something she was trying to hide.

Something good, she could just feel it.


	4. Puzzles

_Puzzles_

"Sooo…"

God, the silence was literally killing her. Well, not _literally_. But it was close. If she'd have known it was going to be this awkward, Ruby would have just waited for Yang, no matter how long she took with the _suspiciously busted_ vehicle.

Ruby sighed. Might as well learn something from the other, rather frosty, passenger.

"What's your story?"

Weiss finally looked away from the passing scenery, confusion marring her otherwise impassive expression.

"What?"

Feeling less awkward now that Weiss was actually talking to her, Ruby felt her confidence grow. She turned in her seat, her back to the tinted window and completely facing her puzzled companion.

"I said, what's your story?"

Weiss shifted in her seat, thrown off by the unexpected question. She really should have expected that, actually. _This girl was something else_.

Weiss cleared her throat.

"My father is the CEO of Schnee—"

"No! Not that one. If I wanted to know that, I would, um, Google it or something. I mean, I could do that right? You're famous enough. I do see your name in practically everything, like this one time I was grocery shopping with Yang, she's my older sister by the way, and then—"

"Ruby, where are you going with this?"

Ruby could feel her cheeks heat up. Word vomit _sucked._

"What I meant was, what do you like to do in your spare time? How old are you? What school do you go to? What's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color…?"

"Yeah! Since your family's kinda loaded I figured you must have been to a ton of places. And seen soooo many things! So answer the questions!"

Ruby grinned, feeling her previous enthusiasm returning. Weiss was at least a little responsive, honestly, it was more than she expected.

"Well, um, I'm 18. I'm taking some classes with a private tutor. I guess my favorite color is blue. And, I…I fence, play the piano, read. Nothing extraordinary."

Ruby could feel the eagerness drip out of her very existence as Weiss continued to talk. _Didn't Weiss do anything fun?_

"As for places I've gone, well, I haven't really been to very many places."

"Really? Not even for vacation and stuff?"

"Father is always busy so we don't have time for leisure."

Weiss responded in a clipped tone.

"Oh. Ok."

Ruby turned in her seat and faced forward again. Weiss was done sharing, apparently.

Silence once again reclaimed the space within the car, snuffing out all of Ruby's future attempts at small talk.

"What about you?"

"Wh-what?"

"I've told you about myself. What about you?"

"Oh!" Ruby perked up, excited by the fact that Weiss actually took some initiative.

"Well, I'm 16, I skipped ahead a couple of grades so I take some classes at the local university when I can. My favorite color is red, if you couldn't tell." Ruby gestured towards her attire-red hoody, red sneakers- and tucked some loose red streaked hair behind her ear. _Red. Red. Red. Like Roses._

"I like to cook, well mostly bake actually. Oh! I also go diner hopping with Yang, my sister, when she has a day off. It's really fun!"

"Diners?"

"Yup! I like to taste-test their milkshakes, its very cathartic, kinda tastes like childhood, you know?"

Weiss grimaced, avoiding the overeager stare. _That was a loaded question._

"I've never…My parents were always busy so they…We could never go out, the company required my parents' constant attention. And now, the chefs always cook for me so going out to eat is completely unnecessary."

Weiss could feel heat prickling the back of her neck, embarrassed with the fact that she didn't have a conventional childhood. Private tutors, non-stop lessons on proper etiquette, there was simply no room for childhood friends, let alone forays into town for fastfood.

"So you've never had a milkshake?! Or gone to a diner?!"

"What part of that did you not understand? I just said I have no need to go to places like that." _This girl is so frustrating!_

"Let's go now!"

"Wha—Now?"

"Yes, now! I mean, I don't have anything to do and I'm pretty sure you don't either. Mr. Driver! Take us to the closest diner near that address I told you earlier. It should be near a park."

"Wait! You dolt! We're complete strangers! I don't even know you! Besides, how do you know I don't have anything to do? For all you know, I could have a completely full schedule right now!"

"Yeah, 'cause I'm obviously an axe murderer. Besides, a friend of mine once told me strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. As for your schedule…I call bullshit! The sun's almost setting and I don't know about you but I doubt you have anything to do now. Don't worry, it'll be fun!"

So caught up in her jumbled thoughts, Weiss paid no heed to the route they were taking until the car slowed to a stop. Weiss glanced outside.

They were at a diner.

The old driver turned around to face them.

"I shall remain until you have finished matters here, Miss."

"Awesome! This is gonna be great! Weiss, you've gotta try everything! Especially the milkshakes. I've been here before and they're pretty good, not the best but more than capable for your first try!"

Ruby was already outside before Weiss even touched the door handle. She watched Ruby hobble towards the diner. Weiss released a sigh, already bracing herself for the impending headache. Before she could fully open her door, the aging driver stopped her.

He gave her a smile.

"Please, enjoy yourself, Miss."

Weiss looked away, trying to hide her own growing smile.

"Thanks."

* * *

They sat in a booth near a window. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the restaurant in a red glow.

Ruby fiddled with the sugar packets, arranging them by color, trying to think of something that would interest them both. It seemed as if every positive step Ruby made with Weiss, they took a huge tumble backwards.

"So you said you fence? What's that like?"

A waitress came and placed two menus on the table, gave them a smile, and went to refill other customers' coffee cups.

"Well, I don't anymore, but I used to compete. It was a nice way to clear my head."

"Why'd you stop?"

Weiss frowned, thinking of an answer. Seeing this, Ruby immediately backtracked, trying to fix the awkward situation she'd inadvertently created.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I was just curious, is all…"

"No. It's ok. I was just too sick. I was thirteen at the time. Father immediately pulled me out of school and hired tutors. I was forbidden from doing anything too strenuous."

Ruby pouted, prepared to say something on the matter, but before she could reply, a waitress arrived, notepad and pen in hand. They placed their orders, Ruby a chocolate milkshake, Weiss a vanilla one.

"Your turn."

Ruby paused to think.

"I like to look at vintage weaponry."

Weiss blinked. _Well, that was certainly…different_.

Ruby snorted.

"Yeah, that probably sounded weird, huh? I don't even know why I got into it. It's not like I can actually afford to buy stuff like that but it's just really fascinating and my mom was really into it so…"

Ruby tapered off, not knowing what else to say. She hoped Weiss didn't catch that little slip-up with her mom. That was still a touchy subject she'd rather not bring up.

"Did you know there are several museums in Germany dedicated to weaponry and warfare?"

Taken aback, Ruby was struck speechless. _What?_

"Now pass me some napkins, would you? This table is absolutely filthy, and I refuse to get my clothing dirty."

Amidst Weiss' borderline frantic cleaning of the tabletop, Ruby could only stare. She'd revealed a lot to Weiss. More than she would if it were someone else and not, well, Weiss. Ruby couldn't wrap her head around it. Weiss was a complete stranger. Came from a completely different world. She was rich and probably had a nice family and wasn't someone who liked the same things Ruby did. And Ruby was just…Ruby. Nothing special. Prone to awkward situations and silly behavior. But as she continued to watch Weiss, white blazer now absent, the sleeves of her oxford shirt rolled up, arguing with the slightly miffed waitress about the state of their "absolutely deplorable eating conditions", Ruby could only giggle. Perhaps she could be someone Weiss depended on, too.

* * *

"I told you to stop complaining. Now we'll probably never be able to go there again."

Weiss huffed, throwing her blazer over one shoulder.

"Yes, well, I don't see why they got so mad. I merely asked for some cleaning supplies to finish what they obviously couldn't."

Ruby giggled and continued to walk towards the park, her crutches clacking on the sidewalk.

"You're so right. How could they resist your charm? Especially after saying you could do better than all of their wait staff combined."

"I was only being truthful."

Ruby laughed as she sat on the unoccupied swing. She could hear children playing nearby, shrieking and laughing without a care in the world. Ruby set her crutches on the ground next to her and then gripped the chains of the swing. She idly kicked at the ground while looking at the sunset. She heard Weiss settle into the swing next to her, the metal creaking slightly.

The air smelled like lawn clippings with a slight metallic tang to it. Probably from the chains. Plus there was this annoying pebble in her shoe. Even though Ruby made every attempt to walk carefully through the park. _So annoying_.

And yet…

She loved every second of it.

"Yang always took me to this park. We actually live in that building right over there. Anyways, she would push me on this swing all the time. So hard it felt like I would just keep going, you know? It felt like I could fly, as corny as that sounds."

Ruby sighed, buried in nostalgia.

"Sometimes I forget how easy it was. I haven't been able to do a lot of things for so long, I forget that this disease isn't me. That I'm a completely separate person. No one gets that. It's hard and it just sucks."

She kicked a pebble with her last statement. Watched it as it rolled to a stop, not very far from where she sat on the swing.

Damnit.

She was getting attached. This was the very reason why she didn't want to go to group therapy. She tried to warn Yang, but…it was nice. Being able to talk to someone.

God, she was so useless.

Broken.

_So broken._

The sound of a zipper being pulled jolted Ruby out of her thoughts. She looked at Weiss, who was fumbling with the zipper on her left boot. When she had it undone, Weiss took a deep breath and sat up.

"I get it. I understand. And I don't think it will ever be ok, because frankly, we can't know that. All we can do is just keep going. We've been dealt a terrible hand,"

Weiss gestured to her leg and Ruby finally looked down only to see…

A prosthetic. Her boot barely concealed the mix of metal and other materials Ruby could not identify.

"…but maybe it doesn't have to be that bad."

At this, Weiss finally gave Ruby a smile. A small, real, genuine smile.

Maybe she was right.

They were both broken, shattered, incomplete in more ways than one.

Maybe they could fit those pieces together.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home, Weiss. It was a lot of fun."

"I admit, it was rather enjoyable."

They both lingered on the steps leading to the entrance of the apartment building. Neither knowing what to say next.

"Um-"

"Well-"

They both stopped abruptly. _Awkward._

Ruby leaned her crutches on the railing and moved forward, enveloping Weiss in a tentative hug. Before she could return the favor, Ruby let go and grabbed her crutches.

"See ya later, Weiss! And goodnight!"

Weiss continued to watch her until she disappeared into the elevator. Shaking her head, Weiss let out a sigh and made her way to the idling car waiting by the curb. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her blazer to ward off the slight chill, only to feel a slightly crumbled piece of paper that wasn't there before.

Weiss stopped and pulled it out, unfolding it and smoothing out the creases.

She could only smile. Ruby had a talent for making her do that, apparently.

It was the receipt.

And on it was a phone number.

* * *

AN:/ So sorry for the late update. I kind of explained it on my other story, _Freakshow_ (shameless plugin). To summarize, it was just a mixture of life getting in the way and a high school friend passing away. I just need time. I figured a little delay is a lot better than forced writing. Anyway, I should be getting back into the swing of things, if not weekly, than bi-weekly. Don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this story. I've grown too attached to it. It might take awhile, but it will be finished. Constructive criticism highly welcomed (I only read through this once, so please point out any mistakes and I will be sure to fix them).

ps. Diner hopping is a thing. A wonderful thing. Much better than bar hopping, I think. I mean what's better than greasy food and milkshakes? And you'll actually remember it. Just a thought.


End file.
